Question 1

According to B.F.Skinner,we are mistaken when we look to inner causes for our actions because

Accepted Answer

A) inner mental states have no impact on behavior. 
B) we have not identified the cause of behavior. 
C) only a few of the most obvious inner states, such as anxiety, can be a cause for our behavior. 
D) subjective feelings are the result of our behavior, not the cause.

Question 2

According to Bandura,we learn many behaviors by observing models.Whether or not we perform these behaviors depends on

Accepted Answer

A) our expectations for rewards and punishments. 
B) the reinforcement value of the rewards. 
C) generalized expectancies. 
D) whether we are children or adults.

Question 3

Edward Thorndike observed cats learning to escape from boxes to obtain a piece of fish and derived from these observations the "law of effect." This was an early statement of

Accepted Answer

A) classical conditioning. 
B) operant conditioning. 
C) shaping. 
D) stimulus generalization.

Question 4

What did Watson use to explain human behavior?

Accepted Answer

A) Classical and operant conditioning 
B) Traits 
C) Observational learning 
D) Unconscious motives

Question 5

Behaviorists believe that conditioning principles can be examined to understand the processes that shape our personalities.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Positive and negative reinforcement are similar in that both procedures

Accepted Answer

A) are used to increase the frequency of a behavior. 
B) are used to decrease the frequency of a behavior. 
C) take away something for inappropriate behaviors. 
D) are ineffective unless backed up with classical conditioning.

Question 7

Colleen is trying to decide which of two events to enter in the school track meet.She thinks she would have a better chance of winning the 100-meter race,but decides to enter the 10,000-meter race instead.According to Rotter's theory,

Accepted Answer

A) her generalized expectancies determined this decision. 
B) the reinforcement value of winning the 10,000-meter race is greater than the reinforcement value of winning the 100-meter race. 
C) the decision illustrates that the behavior potential does not always determine behavior. 
D) she must have been reinforced for winning the 10,000-meter race in the past.

Question 8

Critics of behaviorism have raised each of the following points except one.Which one?

Accepted Answer

A) Studies with laboratory animals have limited use when explaining human behavior. 
B) Heredity plays a larger role in personality than behaviorists acknowledge. 
C) The therapeutic procedures derived from conditioning principles have been found to be ineffective. 
D) Cognition plays a larger role in behavior than strict behaviorists acknowledge.

Question 9

John's mother wants her son to stop crying every time something goes wrong.Following a psychologist's advice,she stops running to comfort John whenever the boy starts crying over some minor incident.After a few weeks,she notices that John cries much less frequently than he used to.This is an example of

Accepted Answer

A) positive reinforcement. 
B) negative reinforcement. 
C) punishment. 
D) extinction.

Question 10

A woman shows no interest in socializing with other people.How might a behaviorist explain this behavior?

Accepted Answer

A) The woman does not believe that she can interact effectively with other people. 
B) The woman has not been reinforced enough for engaging in social behavior. 
C) The woman experiences anxiety in social situations and uses her asocial style as a defense against this anxiety. 
D) The woman is either high in social anxiety or low in sociability.

Question 11

A psychologist teaches a snake-phobic client to relax.She then has the client imagine increasingly vivid scenes about snakes while relaxing.The psychologist is using which type of therapy?

Accepted Answer

A) Systematic desensitization 
B) Aversion therapy 
C) Reinforcement therapy 
D) Biofeedback

Exam 13: The Behavioral/Social Learning Approach: Theory,Application,and Assessment